Am I legal to drive between insurance policy changeovers?
Having just seen another insurance query it made me think of my own renewal I just did and I don't know how it may affect me.
My old insurance expires at 23.59 on it's last day, my new insurance starts at 00.01 on the next day, technically I should be covered surely as they know one policy ends one day, and the new one starts next day, but does that gap in time mean the car has no cover in that gap?
My old insurance expires at 23.59 on it's last day, my new insurance starts at 00.01 on the next day, technically I should be covered surely as they know one policy ends one day, and the new one starts next day, but does that gap in time mean the car has no cover in that gap?
Asked on 13 July 2026 by Alan Felkin
Answered by
David Ross
Insurance polices are designed to expire and begin at precise times around midnight to ensure that there is no gap in cover between them. If your new policy starts at 00.01, while it could be argued that you are technically uninsured for the one minute period, the insurance is deemed to end and begin on the specific date rather than the exact time. Even within that single minute, the Motor Insurance Database which holds the records of vehicle will show that you have a valid policy on both dates.
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